With 120,000 armed men, pro-Iranian militias are rapidly eclipsing the depleted and demoralized Iraqi army

Pro-Iran militias’ success in Iraq could undermine U.S.

Volunteers with Iraq’s Badr Organization patrol in Tikrit, Iraq, on Feb. 7. Badr and other Iran-backed Shiite militias are playing a more important role in the fight against the Islamic State. (Ali Mohammed/European Pressphoto Agency)

By Liz Sly February 15

MANSOURIYA, Iraq — Shiite militias backed by Iran are increasingly taking the lead in Iraq’s fight against the Islamic State, threatening to undermine U.S. strategies intended to bolster the central government, rebuild the Iraqi army and promote reconciliation with the country’s embittered Sunni minority.
With an estimated 100,000 to 120,000 armed men, the militias are rapidly eclipsing the depleted and demoralized Iraqi army, whose fighting strength has dwindled to about 48,000 troops since the government forces were routed in the northern city of Mosul last summer, according to U.S. and Iraqi officials.

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